Post-Taleban The World's Interference |
||||||||||||
|
From the very first day the Taleban came in to power in Afghanistan, the world was wary. As their rule turned into a year, and the reports of killing, rape, drug trafficking, and terrorist actions increased, so did the world's attention to the situation. The United States bombed Afghanistan in 1998, selecting a target, they say, that was a site for terrorist training, one run by Osama Bin Laden, a wanted criminal. Many innocent people died in that bombing, and many widows were created, and the situation in Afghanistan did not get better. The world as a whole finally put a stop to the Taleban, or took the steps to stop the Taleban in 2001, after the terrorist bombing of both the World Trade Center, and the Pentagon, located in the United States. NATO forces, as well as official U.S. troops entered Afghanistan and started their campaign against the Taleban. Officially, the United States was there to weed out the Taleban, and capture Osama Bin Laden, while the NATO forces were there to restore peace, and administer aid. The Taleban were officially labelled conquered after the successful drive to capture the last stronghold of Kandahar in December of 2001. On December 22, 2001 Hamid Karzai was named President of a six-month interim government, being supported by a 30 member cabinet, which included two women, and several warlords. In 2004, Afghanistan's first election, Hamid Karzai won the vote to become Afghanistan's official President, gaining 55 percent of the votes, and by the outstanding show of support by the people of Afghanistan some would say he had already been the official president for some years. In the same year, immediately after Hamid Karzai became President of Afghnistain, a new constitution was instituted, which called for equality of all citizens: "Article 22 [Equality]
. A quote from one woman reveals, that on October 9, 2003, violence and rape is still going on with no help from the outside to stop it: "I was washing dishes in the spring well close to my home. I felt a touch on my shoulder, turned around and saw it was the local commander of the village. He grabbed me, threw me on the ground and raped me. The whole village could hear my screams, saw what was happening to me but would not help me. My father in law and three brothers in law came running to help me and were beaten and threatened by the commander and his men. They were released but the commander told them he would not touch them now but that he would make sure he would kill them. We left that same night and walked through the mountains to Kabul. This man and his brother have raped many women in this district. He has been commander of this area for four years and many families have left because of his violence, looting and killing. We have complained to the authorities and many others. The authorities cannot do anything in our area as the commander is the one who is the authority." The story of twenty year old Farishta, related by Amnesty International in their official report on Afghanistan. (2004) Some women claim that they are no better off now than they were under the rule of the Taleban. Although theoretically the law supports women as equal citizens of Afghanistan, the reality is far from that. The court of laws, and government officials are still riddled with those who were/are corrupt, and who do nothing to alleviate the suffering of the women of Afghanistan. To read more stories of continued violence against women in Afghanistan, click on the links below. Some link to individual stories, others to websites that news articles are constantly updated on. Self-immolation stories: Violence towards women: |
